Resistance Band Rhythms

Does anyone recognize this bright-colored piece of exercise paraphernalia?   Resistance bands, designed for strength training and physical therapy, can be re-purposed into a great rhythm helper!  (And now is the perfect time to go snag one from one of those store-front post-New-Year’s exercise equipment displays!!).  

These bands are one of my go-to tools when students are struggling to hold long notes for their full durations.   With a band in their hands, the long notes suddenly become fun notes!

In this video clip, Sonia demonstrates how we use the band to show duration.  In the first part of the clip, we practice the motions she’ll use with different notes.  Once she’s comfortable with the band, I ask her to stretch as I play a passage:

After we’ve worked, and she can successfully match her motions to my sound, I ask her to look at the printed music as she stretches.  Ideally, she’ll make a connection between what she feels, hears and finally sees:

 Now we’re ready to head back to the piano to see if her long notes have improved!  

You can find resistance bands at most stores that carry sporting or exercise equipment. The bands come in a variety of strengths; you’ll want one with a light resistance level so young arms can handle it!  

P.S. Sorry about the fact that the videos are showing in a funky vertical orientation.  I didn’t discover until I had shot several clips on my new iPad that I need to record with it sitting in horizontal orientation, NOT vertical!!  Please excuse my learning curve!!  

If you’re new to this site, I’d encourage you to take a look through the “Teacher Resources” menu above.  You’ll find all of the printable games and resources I shared during the workshop, along with much, much more!  

As promised, here’s the link to a digital copy of the list of resources in your workshop handout, complete with links to the different resources I mentioned:

Hands-On Theory Resources (245.8 KiB)

I hope you’ll enjoy browsing through the different resources on this site, and find some things you and your students will enjoy.  Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions about anything you find here!  

Pianimation is now available on Google Currents. 

If you are using an Apple or Android device to read this blog post, and you already have Google Currents installed, I invite you to click here to add the Pianimation Edition.

Google Currents is a touch optimized news-reader and magazine app recently released by Google. It is now available for download in the Android Market and the Apple App Store for US users only. It’s been called one of the best apps of 2011.

I keep up with my favorite blogs in many ways: email, Google Reader, Facebook and Twitter. Google Currents is just another option. It’s main advantage over RSS readers and other apps lies in it’s ability to display content elegantly when you are not connected to the internet. My iPad is the WiFi only version, and Google Currents lets me read articles when I’ve got time to kill and no internet connection.  (Although… it’s still a fun way to read articles when you are connected ).  

The content found in the Google Currents Pianimation Edition is basically the same content that you’ll find via any other method of reading the Pianimation blog. However, I am playing around with some options in the Mobile Resources section that you’ll see in the edition. We’ll see if it amounts to much, but I’m hoping to make resources for mobile (Apple and Android) devices easier to find and use (when connected to the internet) from that page.

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments section below.

Get Off the Bench! 
Enliven Your Lessons with Hands-On Learning

Elementary students come to lessons full of creative energy, ready to “play” with music.  This session will explore ways to channel that energy through movement and hands-on learning.  We’ll discover quick and simple ways to use tactile/kinesthetic experiences to introduce and remediate musical concepts (including some “grown up” variations on activities that even your older students will want to try!). 

The morning will be packed with games, activities and manipulatives that will excite and engage your students in an active, playful learning environment.  Come prepared for a hands-on workshop full of fun!  

For the many of you who aren’t in the Kansas City area, never fear.  Many of the activities I’ll be sharing are coming to the blog this spring in a “Sensory Spotlight” series of posts, complete with video demonstrations.  Stay tuned!  

If you haven’t visited their site before, you’ll definitely want to stop by check it out. They have a wonderful (and ever-growing) collection of download-and-print pedagogical piano music (and this really, really cool piano assignment notebook!).

CC Image Courtesy of Sally M

Another new year is upon us!  As we draw to the end of 2011, I want to say a big “thank you” to all of my online friends and colleagues.  It is such a blessing and inspiration to be a part of such a creative community of teachers.  Thanks for sharing all of your feedback and ideas!  

Just for fun… here’s a look back at the most popular posts on the Pianimation blog from the last year.  I wish you all a wonderful 2012!!

 
The most viewed posts in 2011:

1. Christmas Resource Round-Up
2. Mission: Music Incentive
3. The Holidays Are Coming…
4. Student Activity Binders
5. New Floor Staff Games
6. Christmas Carol Rhythm Match-ups
7. Symbol Search Worksheets
8. Musikopoly Incentive Program
9. Christmas Carol Analysis Worksheets
10. Giant Playable Floor Keyboard

The most viewed posts which were written in 2011:

1. Christmas Resource Round-Up
2. Mission: Music Incentive
3. New Floor Staff Games
4. Christmas Carol Analysis Worksheets
5. Giant Playable Floor Keyboard
6. Hands On Teaching, Part 2 – Fitting it All In
7. New Practice Helper
8. Listening Challenge Worksheets
9. Hands-On Teaching… Part 1
10. Floor Staff Carpet

Note: Website stats can be somewhat misleading because people can read the post in their email or RSS Reader without ever viewing the website and go directly to the download page. If your favorite post wasn’t in the top 10 list, I’d love to hear what it is in the comments section below!

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”

~William Blake

Sometimes, in the middle of all of the teaching and learning we try to cram into our students’ years, it’s important to remember to fit in time to enjoy all of that hard work!  This week, I get to celebrate with my students as they pick up finished CD projects, full of favorite pieces from the year, and play through all of their Christmas pieces one more time (it never hurts to have a little something planned in case Grandma asks for an impromptu recital when she comes to visit!).  

I hope you and your students find time to enjoy this busy and wonderful time of year!  

Over the last couple of years, I’ve posted a number of Christmas games, worksheets and resources.  You have to do a bit of hunting through this site to find all of them, so I thought I’d put together a quick reference post to make them a bit more accessible.  Here’s the Pianimation Christmas List!

Christmas Games

Christmas Carol Rhythm Match-Ups (3 levels)
Trim the Tree (a note name game with 3 levels)

Group Activities  
(don’t let the title fool you… I’ve used these activities in groups, but they’ll work just as well in private lessons, too!)

Jingle Bell Melodic Pattern Signs (a beginning melodic dictation activity)
Find My Mistake: Christmas Carol Edition

 Theory Worksheets

Christmas Carol Harmonizations
Christmas Carol Analysis Worksheets (NEW!)
Snowman Triads
Christmas Carol Rhythm Dictation Sheets

Composition & Improvisation

Christmas Composition Starters (courtesy of a kind reader who shared her file!)
The Winter Blues

You’ll find these two new chord analysis worksheets on the Theory Sheets page:

"O Christmas Tree" Analysis Worksheet

"Deck the Halls" Analysis Worksheet

The O Christmas Tree worksheet asks students to spell and identify I, IV, V and V7 chords in the key of D Major.  Deck the Halls requires students to spell and identify I, IV, V, V7, ii and vi chords in B-flat Major.

Here are a couple of tricks we’ve discovered in my studio this fall that make these tasks a little more palatable:

Count Out Loud… in a Different Language

This bright idea came from one of my students.  She was adamantly opposed to counting out loud as she played.  At one lesson, when I insisted that we try it together, she reluctantly told me she’d try… but only if she could count in Spanish.  (I think she somehow thought this would get her out of counting.  Imagine her dismay when I agreed to let her…)  It worked like a charm!   Since then, I’ve tried the tactic on some other reluctant counters, with similar results.  Many elementary students have already had some exposure to language study at school, and are excited for a chance to show off their knowledge at piano lessons.   

I made up a quick reference chart with counting numbers listed in 7 different languages to keep handy by the piano:  

A printable version of the chart is available on the Studio Aids page.  (Coincidentally, this activity is a great fit for the Mission: Music incentive program that you’ll also find on the Studio Aids page.)

The Barking, Quacking Metronome

Have any of you iPad/iPod users discovered the iBeat metronome app?  It just happened to be the first metronome app I downloaded after purchasing an iPad to use in the studio earlier this year, and it’s been a BIG hit with my students!  

The app is styled like a pendulum metronome (a novelty in itself for younger students):

Here’s the fun part:  users can customize the sound played on each beat.  There are 12 different sound options, including a standard metronome click and a number of different drum set components, PLUS a barking dog and quacking duck.   Even my students who hate the metronome LOVE that silly duck!

The iBeat metronome is a free app, so it’s easy for students to download if they have access to an iPod, iPhone or iPad at home.   We’ve found that the volume levels tend to be a little on the low side, so it’s helpful to have a pair of headphones handy for home practice.